Academic Counselor I

South University•West Palm Beach, FL

About The Position

This position is responsible for providing student-centered academic counseling throughout the student lifecycle, ensuring the delivery of effective and quality service. Key areas include course scheduling, timely response to student inquiries, intervention for at-risk students, and referrals to University resources. This role involves advising students on University policies and procedures, assisting them in developing goals and plans for program progression, and collaborating with various University departments (Admissions, Financial Aid, Faculty, Program Directors, University Support Services) on behalf of the student. The Academic Counselor provides comprehensive support services and acts as the primary advocate for their assigned student body, aiming to enhance the student experience and improve retention to graduation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related degree required.
Academic advising or academic counseling experience preferred.
Customer Service experience preferred.
Strong basic computer software (MS Office) skills.
Exposure to Customer Relationship Management Systems or Student Information Systems (Campus Vue/Campus Nexus preferred).
Excellent customer service skills.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong interpersonal skills with student and faculty populations.
Effective organizational and problem resolution skills.
Ability to communicate and effectively act as a member of a team.
Able to develop productive relationships with students, colleagues, and supervisors in a virtual environment.
Able to effectively present information and respond to questions or requests from students, staff, and faculty.
Able to create and act on academic reports and forecasts.
Ability to interact effectively as a member of a team and work collaboratively with other departments.
Able to adapt to changing assignments and multiple priorities.

Nice To Haves

Academic advising or academic counseling experience
Customer Service experience
Campus Vue/Campus Nexus experience

Responsibilities

Provide individualized proactive advising to all assigned students.
Drive student persistence and success through orientation, exposure to the learning platform, effective class scheduling, and monitoring degree progress to graduation.
Develop course schedules for new, continuing, transfer, and reentry students aligned with course sequencing in the curriculum.
Provide advisement focused on academic progress toward graduation in the shortest time possible for the student, as applicable to their individual situation.
Maintain direct contact with assigned students via phone, text, and e-mail; respond to student inbound communication within established timeframes.
Monitor student’s attendance, grades, academic progress, and financial responsibilities.
Develop success plans for at-risk students, or those experiencing challenges, in collaboration with faculty, academic leadership, and University support services.
Demonstrate proficiency with understanding and communicating policies in the University Catalog, Student Handbook, and Programmatic Handbooks as they relate to assigned students, such as Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy, Attendance Policies, Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty Policies, Conduct Policies, and Appeals Procedures.
Provide guidance to assigned students for academic procedures such as grade challenges or appeals.
Facilitate new student acclimation to the academic environment prior to the first class by reviewing the enrollment process, providing an overview of the online or campus classroom, and reviewing graduation progression options.
Audit student academic records regularly and determine progression towards and candidacy for graduation.
Assist students reentering the university after being withdrawn or dismissed from the University with the reinstatement process, monitor student progress to graduation, provide proactive advising, and develop interventions as needed.
Effectively access and perform assigned duties using the Student Information System, Learning Management System, and relevant databases.
Maintain compliance with management of student information through adherence to FERPA requirements and Record Management Policies.
Participate and successfully complete all academic counselor training and development activities.
Other duties as assigned by supervisor.